Author tips script to go out the window

Author and Manly supporter Thomas Keneally has urged fellow Sea Eagles fans - or those who like a bet, at least - to take advantage of what he described as the generous odds about their team winning the grand final.

Odds of up to $2.80 were still available with bookmakers last night. "I'm not a Packer-type punter - a $10 bet would be about the limit for me," Keneally told Sin Bin. "But I just thought, 'Gee, these are good odds for anyone who wanted to have an investment. All bets are off in grand finals. Look at Newcastle beating Parramatta [in 2001], Penrith beating the Roosters [2003] and Brisbane beating Melbourne [last year]. The glorious thing about grand finals is that they don't always go to script."

Eye for a winner

Not long after Newcastle came into the competition in 1988, Jack Newton had a prosthetic eye made with a Knights logo on it to show his passion for the club. So, with the golfing great's son, Clint, in the grand final with Melbourne, Sin Bin asked if he was going to get a new one with the Storm emblem. "That's the talk," Clint said on Monday. But when we contacted Jack, he said what had seemed like a good idea while he was caught up in the emotion of the occasion after last Sunday's defeat of Parramatta would prove too difficult to organise in time. Besides, deep down, he's still a Knights man.

Join the hate-in

Anyone who wonders why Manly are hated only needed to be in the hirer's box at Sydney Football Stadium during last Saturday night's grand final qualifier against North Queensland. With video referee Bill Harrigan denying the Sea Eagles two first-half tries due to obstruction calls, celebrity supporters Wendy Harmer and Peter Phelps didn't hold back in letting everyone else know exactly what they thought. Federal Opposition leader Kevin Rudd was among those who heard it all. Harmer even got into a slanging match with a Cowboys supporter wearing a straw hat who had crashed the festivities.

Tele rots the brain

It's probably fortunate for the Daily Telegraph that Melbourne are also owned by News Ltd, as there could have been serious consequences after the paper digitally placed prop Brett White's head on the body of disgraced Canadian wrestler Chris Benoit, who murdered his wife and son before killing himself in June. The doctored photo had Benoit's name on the title belt slung across the wrestler's body.

Fatman bounces back

If a week is a long time in rugby league, how about in television? This time last week, Footy Show host Paul Vautin was - in the parlance of the program - goooooone. Now he seems safe, following David Gyngell's shock return as chief executive of Channel Nine. Gyngell is a Fatman fan, we're told, unlike Nine sports boss Steve Crawley, who tried to fight Vautin on two occasions at last year's Logie awards. So what about the future of the man they call 'Creepy'? The word around the corridors at Willoughby is that it's in grave doubt after Crawley hitched his wagon so tightly to that of Jeff Browne, who has been dispatched back to Melbourne following Gyngell's appointment. As they say in TV Land, stay tuned!

Midnight Cowboys

Perhaps Gyngell will tell Browne to broadcast NRL matches at a more palatable hour in Melbourne. Then they mightn't have the embarrassing situation that occurred after the Storm's preliminary final victory last Sunday. When Matthew Johns asked Storm back-rower Ryan Hoffman what he'd thought of Manly's victory over the Cowboys the night before, Hoffman replied: "We wouldn't know - we don't usually get the game until midnight down here." The grand final will be broadcast live nationally for the first time.

Architects of success

Manly great Bob Fulton nominated seven people responsible for getting the Sea Eagles out of financial trouble and putting the club on the path to where it is now. They are Ken Arthurson, Phil Franks, Max Delmege, Scott Penn, Paul Cummings, Des Hasler and Joe Cross. "They deserve the credit," Fulton said. "There wouldn't be a team on the peninsula without them. The Northern Eagles were a financial and a football mess, but then Phil Franks came up with a cheque, he went and saw Ken Arthurson and things progressed from there. Dessie and his coaching staff have done a tremendous job in a short time to build a potentially premiership-winning team. There are plenty of clubs in the NRL just happy to be in the eight, but Dessie was never going to be satisfied with that. He's not interested in just going around."

Billy gets gruff

Melbourne players answered all manner of questions when they were available to the media on Monday - well, almost all. When fullback Billy Slater was asked to comment on last season, when he was suspended three times, he threatened to walk away. Apparently, the subject is off limits.

Bailey backs Ox

Manly halfback Matt Orford has received support from an unlikely source to turn a grand final performance into an Australian Test jumper against New Zealand. Even though prop Luke Bailey's fellow co-captain at the Titans, Scott Prince, is in the Kangaroos train-on squad, Bailey said of the Sea Eagles skipper: "I think his chance might come." Bailey also launched an impassioned plea for selectors not to overstate the importance of playing on the final weekend of the NRL season when they select the 18-man squad on Monday. "I think sometimes the selectors get a bit carried away with blokes who play good for eight to 10 rounds, whereas in the old school, you had to play good for three years to make an Australian side," Bailey said. "You've got to earn it."

My boy's a battler

Michael Monaghan's father, Stewart, was not surprised when his son returned to play a stunning role for Manly in their win over the Cowboys after being concussed in the first half. He had seen that level of resolve from him before - 15 years ago. "Michael had been in bed, crook, for two days before a Year-12 knockout," Stewart said. "But he climbed out of bed to play in the rain and they won it. He came home, went back to bed and was crook again for the next few days."

Cleal: Hasler a great
Manly recruitment officer and coaching staff member Noel Cleal says Des Hasler will become a coaching great. "They'll be talking about Des in 10 years like they talk about the great coaches now," Cleal said. "If he wants to be a rep coach, he'll be a rep coach. He's as good a coach as I've worked with."

Posted
by SMH OnlineSeptember 28, 2007 12:01 AM

LATEST COMMENTS

What was the hold reason of not selecting Mat Oxford for any rep games??
Look at the size of Allan Langer and Geoff Toovey are they all same...
But yet they were selected..

I gues if those selector who were in Langer and Toovey days are now in Mat Oxford days.. he would have got the chances as Geoff and Alfie..

Posted by: Kavanmur Bumara on March 5, 2009 3:52 PM

My partner and I were at the grand final. He is a huge manly fan and has been for a very long time. I have always been a Peter Phelps fan. The highlight of my night was meeting him! I believe he has a BIG heart, a great smile and gorgeous eyes! I didn't get to ask him question tho. My question was going to be, if he remembers the actor John Blake? I know he was in an accident after the Lighthorsemen but wanted to ask Peter how he was doing??

Posted by: Charlene Taylor on October 6, 2007 4:20 PM

Firstly I must say that Melbourne were the better team.

But having said that, why do they resort to eye gouging (so clear on the TV that it can't possibly be denied) and forearms to the head?

Also, the Melbourne method of raising one's self off an opponent by using a forearm across the throat of a tackled player (who is laying on his back) can surely only appeal to those who would cheer for the lions against the Christians in ancient Rome.

Melbourne could have played and won tonight by playing within the rules. But they chose not to, and that's a pity.

Posted by: Les on September 30, 2007 10:34 PM

Manly AKA Northern Eagles dump a player called Matt Orford. After spending some time at a Very Southern club he returns to the highest payer.
Gladiator or Mercinary ! your pick

Posted by: star man on September 29, 2007 6:01 PM

Have just read Matt Nable's comments about the passing of the "Silvertails" and the emergence and collapse of the Northern Eagles.
As an old Kiwi Bears supporter, I would ask the question of, What is different?
Didn't Manly whip Orford out from under 'a less fashionable Sydney team at the expence of one of their then and now most explosive players.This player has just won man of the match in his second to last game with the club.
To Manly, Mr Orford and another gentleman by the name of Mr Harrison (an ex captain of the same less fashionable club) I say " break a leg" but not in the theaterical sense and all the very best to Mr Mick ( Michael) Monaghan.
PS Notwithstanding the comments from the heart,I have NZ $20 on manly this weekend

Posted by: graham on September 29, 2007 5:48 PM

So we have reached the GF and the two teams we have left have basically led the comp all year. In many aspects you could say that they both deserve their success.

However how could any self respecting Sydney-sider tune into this big yawn.

The team that loves to cheat using the grapple tackle (Storm)against the team that loves to cheat by using obstruction and decoy runners (Manly). Just goes to show cheats do prosper!!!

I must say with the consistent 5 tackles and a kick and the destruction of St Gerorge by Peter Doust it is hard to get up any enthusasm for next season.

To top it off we now learn that St George is transferring 6 of its matches next year to the worst ground in the NRL - Telstra Stadium.

NRL = Yawn, yawn

Posted by: Disillusioned on September 28, 2007 4:38 PM

I watched Manly play a few years ago, and after the game here was Thomas Keneally, the famous playwright was standing by himself, utterly ignored by other members of the crowd.

In the distance, Fatty Vautin drove his car down the driveway, and was mobbed by fans.